4 weeks ago
17
Sweden’s foreign minister has said China has denied a request for prosecutors to conduct an investigation on a Chinese ship linked to the cutting of two Baltic Sea cables.
Sections of two telecom cables were cut on 17 and 18 November in Swedish territorial waters of the Baltic. Suspicions have been directed at a Chinese ship, the Yi Peng 3, which according to ship tracking sites sailed over the cables around the time they were cut.
The Swedish foreign minister, Maria Malmer Stenergard, told Agence France-Presse: “Swedish police have been on board [Yi Peng 3] as observers in connection with the Chinese investigation … At the same time, I note that China has not heeded our request for the prosecutor to conduct an investigation onboard.”
Earlier on Monday, Beijing had promised to continue cooperation with regional authorities over the Yi Peng 3.
The ship tracking site Vesselfinder showed the Yi Peng 3, which had been anchored in the international waters of the Kattegat strait between Sweden and Denmark, steaming north out of the strait on Saturday.
Beijing said on Monday that the ship had left “to ensure the physical and mental wellbeing of the crew”.
“The shipowner company, after a comprehensive evaluation and consultation with relevant parties, decided to resume operations,” said Mao Ning, a foreign ministry spokesperson. “China has notified all relevant countries in advance. China is willing to maintain communication and cooperation with the countries involved to advance the follow-up handling of the incident.”
European officials have said they suspect sabotage linked to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Kremlin has rejected the comments as “absurd” and “laughable”.
On Thursday, authorities from Sweden, Germany and Finland were invited onboard the vessel for an investigation led by China.
A Danish representative accompanied the group as the country had served a “facilitating role” by hosting meetings between the countries earlier in the week, its foreign minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, said.
In late November, Sweden requested China’s cooperation in the investigation. The Swedish prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, stressed that there was no “accusation” of any sort.
Early on 17 November, the Arelion cable running from the Swedish island of Gotland to Lithuania was damaged. The next day, the C-Lion 1 submarine cable connecting Helsinki and the German port of Rostock was cut south of Sweden’s Öland island, about 435 miles (700km) from Helsinki.
Tensions have mounted around the Baltic Sea since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. In September 2022, a series of underwater blasts ruptured the Nord Stream pipelines that carried Russian gas to Europe, the cause of which has yet to be determined.
In October 2023, an undersea gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia was shut down after it was damaged by the anchor of a Chinese cargo ship.
